Gudrun5

Is there a chance there will be a season 3? I have to admit, as I watched the final episode I found myself wishing - for the first time - for a cliffhanger that would mean there will be another season! I see potential plot ideas at the very end, but really I just want to spend more time with these characters.

If you liked this one I just watched Bad and Crazy and it is a surprisingly good companion to this. Though the first episodes of Bad and Crazy have a totally different tone, once you get to the second half there are stark similarities. I loved the psychological drama between the main characters. Highly recommend that one if you liked Hello Monster and the aspect of hidden past, mental health, and killers close to the main character.

I cam here as a recommendation after Hello Monster and I really see it in the second half! The tone in the beginning episodes is completely unlike Hello Monster, but once you get into the heart of the story it has a lot of similarities with the psychological war between characters. I really enjoyed this drama!

thanks very much! I will keep that in mind.

I agree that the drama gave him many dramatic moments, and what struck me from beginning to end was his immersion in the character (a broken, bitter, hopeless person who begins to warm up little by little). The only darker character I think would have been the Emperor from Empress Ki (which I still haven't finished watching but plan to).

I also took some large breaks (weeks or months) in between watching several episodes at a time. I just waited until I found myself drawn back to Ji Chang Wook's story, and I finally finished the last 3 episodes this week. So I totally relate to where you're coming from.

This drama got pretty dark, and dark outside of anything relating to the hospice and end of life with the patients. I really liked the direction the story took in the second half to continue Gye Re's story and his past, though it was a bit surprising, it paid off a lot of the ground laid in the first episodes. I appreciated how the show depicted human trafficking victims and their struggles, which was the most shocking but also handled well, I think, especially in a way that viewers who knew nothing about it could sympathize with.

This ranks among my favorite of Ji Chang Wook's dramas because I like him best in intense roles. Especially in this drama he takes on a very different appearance, his face looks more gaunt and troubled as Gye Re, he embodied that deeply wounded soul so well. Lots of tears for this one, but the story was both sharp and heartwarming.

At the final episode, there were several guest actors that make me guess that they are special guests, actual viewers who had a wish to be in the show. I haven't looked up any details from the show, but that was my assumption and I like the idea very much.

That's really interesting, is there anything of Bo Gum's that you like? Some of my favorites are Seobok and Hello Monster (I remember you) which don't have a romance for his character.

It's a refreshing change! I was thinking the same about Big Mouth with Lee Jong Suk. A thriller drama with a married couple is very nice. (Though he was also married in Empress Ki, which is quite a roller-coaster.)

Oh my goodness, we are on the same wavelength! The K2 is my favorite Kdrama hands down. I was just thinking about why I love Park Bo Gum's role in Hello Monster so much. It's because every scene with his character is filled with so much tension, between he and every other character, even the villains are people with their own stories. I felt the same way about The K2, which in addition to all the meaningful character drama had incredible fight scenes that I've never seen topped anywhere.

Whether there is physical action or just high-stakes personal drama, I really like the kinds of stories that carry a lot of meaning and weight for the characters. (As a side note, I like those roles the best for Ji Chang Wook, which is why my favorite Ji Chang Wook dramas are The K2, Healer, Sound of Magic, and most recently If you Wish Upon Me.)

I'd love to see Park Bo Gum in another similar drama. Each of his roles seems so hugely different from the other, like polar opposite to polar opposite, that I don't yet know exactly what his preferred story type is. Or maybe he likes all genres. And for me, Seobok still remains my favorite of his works, as it was my first introduction to him as an actor and when I watch that movie, I still only see Seobok the character, not Park Bo Gum the actor.

Thank you so much! I will definitely try to read that. I've enjoyed reading a lot of manhwas, this would be the first that I started with live-action characters, but I really liked the ex-husband character a lot.

I agree! As my taste is more for adventure than slice-of-life as well. I've watched Hello Monster twice and that one sticks with me a lot, while not being too dark.

I'm re-watching it and I really wish there were a second season, even though most k-dramas don't have continuations. I can only imagine where the story could go while watching it this time around. Actually, I feel like most of Park Bo Gum's dramas could have a second season because I want to see how the characters continue to live on after the end.

Also, like others I'd like to know recommendations of similar dramas, not specifically with the age gap but more of the maturity of the characters, up-beat tone, and I like the chaebol aspect too.

I'm only halfway through the first episode, but this feels like if Taek from Reply 1988 had to go out into the real world and find a job. I feel so sympathetic to Jang Geu Rae! People who give up even high school for a profession definitely have different life experience than others. I'm excited to see where this goes, watching for Im Siwan.

Totally agree, it was about the Crown Prince loving both his best friend and the woman of his heart. I also like that Rin's sister was placed as his Crown Princess, even though he never showed an ounce of interest in her, she truly adored him, and I can believe that over time he would find her as a supportive wife. But we didn't need to see that as we wouldn't be ready for it. :)

I really loved it. The only historical-like K-drama I liked as much of this is Alchemy of Souls, which is one of my top dramas. That one is great because of the multiple main characters who are all interesting.

Yes! I agree. I started this partly due to waiting for Summer Strike as I'd never seen Im Siwan, and I adored his Crown Prince! But mostly because it was written by the same writer as Healer, I highly recommend that one!

I will have to try Hwarang, as I somewhat enjoyed Love in the Moonlight and Empress Ki (which I've been holding off on the last 10 episodes). This one held the perfect balance of political intrigue, great character arcs, without being too light or too depressing either.

I actually found the tone quite optimistic. The tragedy or unjust suffering in a lot of these Korean historical dramas are the thing I dislike the most, but this one didn't have that to the same degree. It had three very strong main characters and I was rooting for each of them in their own story. Highly recommend if you like stories about good-hearted Crown Princes who are up against tough adversaries, and a good bromance.

It is now available to rent on streaming platforms or buy the DVD/Blu ray Dec. 8, 2022.

This movie gave me so many emotions but the increasing question as it went on was "how will this end? Can it have a happy ending?" I did not know until the very final shot, and then suddenly the entire story became crystalized for me, it became a real, bittersweet science fiction story of the best kind. Even though it was dealing time travel or time pausing throughout the story, I couldn't quite decide how to interpret it until I was given the ending. I like happy endings, and I interpret this as happy. Often science fiction has a cold, lonely quality to it, but also a silver lining or bright spot can appear in the middle of someone's pain. This was one of those types of stories for me.

I found this because of watching Kang Dong Won in Haunters and immediately needed to watch more of him, so this was gratifying.